Beer: Ratings & Reviews

The beer releases from the 22 ounce bottle reddish amber with a large creamy of white head that slowly fades leaving the lace a firm sheet upon the glass. Nose is rich in sweet malt, the big hop flowery aroma under pins the malt, citrus like in its crispness, fusel alcohol quite noticeable, grassy, start has a pleasant malt presence, alcohol and hops pound the palate, top is medium to full. Finish has a stern acidity; the hops potent, alcohol blast the taste buds. Aftertaste dry, most certainly a belly warmer, I think a little aging would help this beer, but for those who like Big Hops and Big ABV, this is your beer.

The RIPA had a small foam head with a little bit of lacing. It was a nice dark amber almost copper color.

The aroma was was a sweet maltiness that dominated the nose. It tasted of caramel and was peppery and spicy. In the mouth it was thin and herbal. I would try this one again. Still fairly new to the double IPA realm.

A: Pours a very dark red, almost brown, with a thick, white head, which leaves abundant lacing which just sticks to the glass and is still there in the morning.

S: Hoppy, but with a lot of malt, some dark fruits and sugar, spice, though I wish it was more robust.

T: An interesting taste when I first tasted it, I was expecting a straight up Double IPA, but then I remembered the rye malt and became more acclimated to the taste. Very interesting, but very tasty as well. The rye malt adds a spice, almost phenolic character to the malt-based part of this brew, similar to Hop Rod Rye, another RyePA type beer. Very hoppy, an abundance of pine in this one, altogether a profroundly good taste and a well made beer, well balanced.

M: Soft for an IPA, but still quite resiny, oily, but the large amount of malts add a smoothness not found in other IPAs.

D: A very good double, didn't know what to expect, the first beer I have had from this brewery besides the Pomegranate Ale, a fruit beer, so I am anxious to try their other stuff. Good job, He'Brew.

Pours a dark copper color with a thick amount of a light brown head, 2 inches. Leaves some sticky lacing along the side of the glass. Smell is of rye, and the earthy/citrus Hoppiness that is the Double IPA. Strong hops dominate but the rye malt shines through on the palate. Mouthfeeling finishes dry and a little sticky. Very full feeling.

A dark copper-brown color with a somewhat whispy head and reasonable lacing. It has a nice sweet malty aroma that includes some butterscotch, pine hops along with alcohol presence. It immediately impresses you with its slick thick body with plenty of alcohol evident while providing lots of sweet citrus hops too. Very hardy with a licorice finish. Quite an experience in flavors, robust and enjoyable but probably not something I would drink in mass quantities. One to be savored more slowly I think, but you could manage a few of these to preserve the taste sensation. Very nice effort again from this fine brewery.

Another over-the-top DIPA, more malt tasted with hop bitterness right behind it. Slowly Drinkable with some citrus and cherry and spice. Good looking white foamy head. Good carmel malty aroma. Bitter aftertaste. Some like this style a lot, others prefer something less explosive.

Pour a very deep copper with 2 fingers of long lasting creamy head. Sheets of lacing occur. Looks like a big daddy DIPA. Smells like rye malt, fig, and a hoppy backbone. Loving the rye malt. Im starting to grow fond of these Rye IPAs. Very balanced, you get all the piney hops you could ask for but the expected balance from the rye malt is nice. Full in the mouth, nice carbonation. A big beer. Slightly under a sipper and very tasty.

A - Beautiful deep chestnut brown. S- Nice malty smell. T- Taste is very malty with the rye noticeable. Finish - a bit of hoppy not as much as many IPAs - a bit alcoholy. Mouthfeel - substantial, nicely carbed. Drinkability - a bit strong at 10%, but very enjoyable to enjoy slowly.

Currently one of my favorites - really like the rye malt - a little less boozey would probably make it my first choice. I get one of these (22 oz) bottle with a nicely marbled and/or seasoned steak.

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. pours a dark copper color with an off white head from a brown twenty two ounce bottle. The aroma is a rich and malt with some alcohol being evident. There is a nice thick mouthfeel, a lot of malt up front, followed by strong, peppery alcohol and then some hops are noticeable in the finish. The alcohol kind of overpowers this beer, I think it would be very tasty if it were lower in abv. As is, it's okay, but kind of a chore to drink more than a small amount.

S - Good malty smell, with a balanced hop aroma. Very balanced, very enjoyable.

T - Wow! That's a kick in the mouth! Huge flavor. You can really taste the rye. Complex biscuity/malty/bitter/sweet/woody flavor. Hoppy, but it needs it to balance the huge flavor. Chewy. Just awesome.

M - When you drink this beer you really know you're drinking beer. Mouthfeel is exceptional.

D - This beer is 10% ABV and comes in a 22oz bottle. Keeping that in mind, it's pretty darn drinkable.

Overall, this is an awesome beer. My girlfriend took a sip and remarked "that sure is a man's beer!"

This beer pours a darker golden color with a slightly dark tan head. The thick, fluffy looking head fades slowly, leaving a good amount of lace.

This beer has a crisp piney aroma. It also has a slightly sour, grainy aroma from the rye. I can detect a decent amount of sweet caramel malt aroma as well, balancing this beer quite nicely. The 10% ABV is hidden well in the aroma.

As with the aroma, this beer has a strong piney hop flavor. It tastes somewhat grainy as well. Unlike the aroma however, I can clearly taste the alcohol in this beer. A slight caramel malt flavor is also present.

This beer is full bodied. It leaves a grainy, piney aftertaste. The alcohol content in this beer warms slightly as it goes down. It is carbonated well.

I doubt this beer would make a great session beer. It is aggressive, and it is high in alcohol.

Overall: I have had this beer before on tap, but never got around to writing a review. As soon as I saw the bottle, I jumped at the chance to review it. As with everything I have had from Shmaltz Brewing Company, this beer is unique. Not what I usually enjoy, and therefore always worth trying.

poured into a flaired tulip glass from a 22oz brown bottle with crimped cap.

Hazy,deep reddish copper color with a generous off white very creamy head,good retention,tightly knit strings of very tiny bubbles rising from the sides of the glass with a steady stream of bubbles emerging from the center of the glass,leaving sticky lacing down the sides of the glass.

Tart, fruity, berry- like aromas with floral,citrusy notes, also had a green apple and fresh cut grass smells. The aromas were very faint for a DIPA, no dating on the bottle might have been lost with age.

Heavy,sweet intense carmell malitness with a burnt edge to it followed by a hop rush of resiny,leafy with lots of citrus rind. Good balance with alcoholic heat throughtout. Thick and juicy with intense hop notes.

A sipper,very rough,not much drinkability. One of the least drinkable doubles i've had,if you like it hoppy this beer's for you. Don't let the aroma fool you this beer packs a serious hop punch.

Pours clear and the color of a dark red wine with a full wispy light tan head that fades fair quickly. Little lacing generated. The smell of rye malt beverage is really unique and a little hard to describe to me. Its malty without being really sweet. A little doughy too. The alcohol is also undeniable in the nose and there are a bunch of hops in this one, giving it a piny floral characteristic. I find that the alcohol is much more pronounced the more it warms up. Full bodied, the mouth feel is smooth. Adequately carbonated, a tingle from the hops balances the rye malt nicely. The flavor is quite similar to the nose. The 10% ABV is integrated well. A very good drinker, and one to consider for a reasonable length of time.

A deep amber color with a creamy colored head, that is a substantial three inches thick. The aroma is very citrusy, with touches of pine and grassy scents, then is rounded out with hints of malt and rye. That malt and rye come right out at the start of the flavor, it stays there till it reaches the back of the palate and a grapefruit tartness, followed by some grassy flavors. All of that flavor is diminished, by this harsh mettalic taste at the end. A medium bodied feel at first, but seems to water down after several sips. I was expecting alot more from this beer, the aroma brought me to a point, and then I was let down greatly. I will have to try this beer again, to see if I am wrong.

Bought a bottle at BevMo on 7/29/07
Appearance: Dark, burnt orange with a huge whit head that disspates very slowly
Smell: Aggressive hops and lots of malt
Taste: A good hop bite with a lot of malt to back it up. Only complaint is the sweetness on this one.
Mouthfeel: Very solid. Sweet, silky, hop-helped, coating texture on the back of the throat.
Drinability: Not bad for a 10% brew. I honestly did not taste the alcohol on this one. A very good beer and the first I have tried from the Schmaltz brewing.
Recommended

I've sat on this for a few months and it probably was a few months in the store as well. I'm not sure that qualifies as aged, but it certainly is not new.
Big full cream colored fluffy head that takes its time settling. Nice red hues. Very clear. Loads of lacing. Attractive.
I can't call the aroma intense, but it certainly is full of hops, particularly American with strong citrus (but is more complex than just Cascade) and grassy qualities. Definitely some malt backing, but not so much of fruit as toast and biscuit. Alcohol not evident, at least in first blush, which surprises me considering the level (some mild presence later).
While remarkably hoppy (dare I say intense) in both flavors and bitterness it also initially comes across as blended rather well. Strong malt qualities certainly exists and not just in balancing qualities but possessing flavor characteristics of fruit, touch of sweetness up front and bursts of toast/biscuit (although too infrequent and fleeting for my preferences). Nonetheless, this is a hop dominated profile in which the bitterness gradually takes over and dominates through an extremely long and progressively dry finish. Alcohol is present, but is never hot, bold or interfering.
Quite smooth with a medium heavy body with a carbonation that exists but doesn't stand out one way or another.
I think this is quite nicely done. Fits category well. I wish the advertised rye would make more of a presence, but maybe age has a role to play in that. So drinkability...hmmmm, how much can a guy really sample of this before the taste buds turn completely numb? I don't know, but a bomber by myself was doable, but it took a long time and considerable patience.
RIP Stacy.

A- This beer pours a reddish-brown crystal clear body but a bit dense. The strong sea of carbonation is tiny bubbles that glide up the sides of the glass. The thick sticky light tan head hold to the side of the glass after each sip.

S- This beer has a sweet malt flavor with a note of sugary dum-dum suckers. The light smell of wet grain and toast come through as it warms. There is also a hint of dark rye bread that is very pleasant.

T- This beer has a sweet dark caramel malt flavor with a bitterness of dandelion greens to follow. There spicy notes from hops or rye that fades into toasted malt notes and sweet white sugar flavors. The finish has a light herbal note with a malt and hop bitterness at the finish.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a slight slippery texture. There is a slight chalky texture and a soft alcohol heat that comes through as it warms.

D- This beer has some nice qualities of old ales, sweet malts and smooth alcohol with notes of spicy rye notes. I didn't get any qualities of IPA let alone DIPA. Nice beer in the wrong categories.

T - The maltiness, caramel, flavor is immense in this beer. Balanced by a bit of bite (perhaps from the rye) and with a tinge of piney, citrusy hop bitterness. However this is the least hoppy DIPA I have tried; I need more hops! That aside, this is a nice tasting beer. It is hugely malty and sweet, with a nice balance; but it tastes like an uber-malty pale ale.

M - Slightly grainy with a a medium body and moderate amount of carbonation. Nice.

D - The drinkablity is fairly good for this beer. I think the lack of hops actually helped in this department. A little to sweet for me though. I would defintely drink this again, however some many other great DIPAs out there it may be unlikely.

I've been curious about this one since I ran into the Shmaltz guys at Brewtopia in NY a few years back and the label is quite eclectic and interesting so decided to give it a go. Pours a deep reddish maroon color with a reasonable creamy head and lots of effervesence. Nose is quite loud with hops and rye malt in imitation of it's namesake. Nothing subtle here, as well there shouldn't be.

Deeply sweet with strong alcohol tones that eventually lighten and give way to hefty but not intense hopping. This seems to be the trend in the DIPAs I've had lately: as heavy on the malt as the hops. A bit of a sour note is linked to the beer, perhaps coming from the rye. This is a sensory powerful beer; the anti Coors Light. Real beer drinkers will enjoy this brew.